Giovannelli's Mound Gem Leads SLP Orioles

 Monday night was a big night for Stefano Giovannelli.  He drove in two runs and struck out 13 batters to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Chanhassen Storm at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

The Storm took the early lead in the top of the third inning when Josh Costello hit a one out double, advanced to third base on Josh Kirchoff's single and came home on Josh Och's ground out to second base.  In the bottom of the inning, the Orioles would load the bases on Ben Farley's double, Stanley Regguinti's single and a walk to Andrew Vela.  Giovannelli came to the plate and lined a single to center field that scored Farley and Regguinti.  

St. Louis Park would double their third inning output with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Kristofer Hokenson lead off with a walk and Helfmann drove him home with an RBI single.  Helfmann would score on a wild pitch by Chanhassen relief pitcher Sam Marek.  

But the story of the game was Giovannelli.  He would hold the Storm to two hits, the last came on a single from Kirchoff in the third inning.  He would retire the next 12 batters before giving up a walk to Mason Windschitl in the top of the seventh.  Nothing would transpire for Chanhassen as Giovannelli would strike out pinch hitters Dean Kamann and Jake Ryan to end the game, finishing with 13 strikeouts.  

St. Louis Park won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 10-5.  They will host the Waconia Wildcats on Tuesday, May 17 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.  Chanhassen fell to 9-5 and will host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Wednesday, May 18 at 4:30 PM.  

SLP Orioles Stomp SPA Spartans

 The St. Louis Park offense was as hot as the weather at game time and heating up was Ryan Rasmussen, who scored four goals and assisted on four others to lead the host Orioles to a 18-3 drubbing of the St. Paul Academy Spartans Thursday afternoon.  

The Orioles put the game away in the first half with ten unanswered goals.  Lilly Fandel Thompson began the scoring 3:00 into the half, followed by two straight goals from Rasmussen.  Ailish Fitzpatrick would score on a free shot to put St. Louis Park ahead by four.  Emilia Johnson would also factor into the Orioles equation.  She made a nifty pass to Rasmussen and she would get the hat trick.  Johnson would tally twice with her second goal :27 after her first.  But it was more than Johnson and Rasmussen who found the net.  Margaux Pollock made an inside pass to Katie Grimm and St. Louis Park's lead extended to eight.  Erin Koslowski drove down the field like traffic on Lake St., cut into the center slot and fired the ball into the net.  Rasmussen would feed the ball to Madeline Anklam and she sent the ball across the goal line to increase the lead to ten.  But there would be a bright spot for Spartan fans as Mia Hofmann scored on a free shot with 1:20 left in the first half and the Orioles led 10-1 at the half.  

Heading into the second half, the Orioles added three goals to their ledger.  The first came on a center slot goal from Meg Ridgway.  Then Johnson got her hat trick off a pass from Rasmussen.  Rasmussen would pick up her fourth assist on Pollock's goal.  SPA would end St. Louis Park's run on Charlotte Going's goal.  With a lead of more than ten goals, there was running time and Riley Ridgway would keep it that way as she sent the ball to the net.  There was a little life for the Spartans when Hofmann scored her second free shot goal.   Since the game was decided early, Oriole head coach Kate Pearson sent in some junior varisty players.  One who would enter the scoring column was Ruby Viot.  Viot would center the ball to Rasmussen and she would score her fourth goal.  Anna McCallon circled the net and found an open spot to land the ball.  Grimm would conclude the scoring with :46 to play.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 6-2 and will host the Hopkins Royals Saturday, May 14 at 10:30 AM .  SPA fell to 2-3 and will also be in action on the 14th as they head to Apple Valley to face Eastview/Eagan at 2 PM.  

SLP Orioles Storm Past Cooper Hawks

 Before the thunderstorm hit the Twin Cities Wednesday night, there was baseball at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park where Graham Sullivan and Brady Truitt combined on a one hitter to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 13-0 shutout of the Cooper Hawks.

The game was shortened to five innings due to the ten run rule.  

The Orioles would score three times in the bottom of the first.  The first came on a double from Andruw Vela that scored Ben Farley. Following a walk to Stanley Regguinti, he and Vela would cross the plate when Stefano Giovannelli reached base on a fielding error by Hawks shortstop Charlie Evans.  

Walks and wild pitches would be Cooper's downfall throughout the game.  And it was true in the bottom of the second when Tait Myers scored on a wild pitch and Vela drove in his second run on a single that brought Farley home.  

St. Louis Park added three runs to their ledger in the bottom of the third.  Two would head home as Myers reached base on an error by cooper second baseman Sam Thomas and Myers accounted for the third on a wild pitch.  

The Orioles were close to sending the fans to shelter as the rain pelted St. Louis Park.  Hawks pitchers Cam Ruddy and Matt Gerding were wild and hit resulted in three hit batters and three walks as well as three runs. Two would come from Ben Farley's double.  

Truitt would seal the win for the Orioles in the top of the fifth when he struck out the side. 

St. Louis Park would improve their record to 7-5 and will play a doubleheader on Thursday, May 12 against the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 4:30 & 7 PM at Red Haddox Field.  Cooper lost their third straight game and fell to 2-9.  The Hawks have been outscored in their last three games 37-2.  They will also be in action on the 12th as they host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 4:30 PM.  

Big Sixth Inning Helps SLP Orioles End Three Game Losing Streak

 What could be a preview of the Section 6AAAA Tournament in late May took place Tuesday night as Kristofer Hokenson hit a three run homer to break a scoreless tie and Stefano Giovannelli pitched a four hit complete game to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 win over the Wayzata Trojans at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

It was a battle for the first three innings between Giovannelli and Wayzata's Noah Karschnik as neither team erased the zeros from the runs column on the scoreboard.  Giovannelli gave up three hits but he was supported by the strong Oriole defense.  As for the Trojans, Karschnik cruised through the St. Louis Park lineup like cars driving down Minnetonka Blvd.  He did not allow a base runner through three innings.  

There would be no perfect game when the Orioles came to the plate in the bottom of the fourth.  Ben Farley flied out to left field and Hokenson hit a one out double.  But Zach Helfmann was called out on strikes and Andruw Vela flied out to left field to keep the game scoreless.  

But there would be good news for St. Louis Park in the bottom of the sixth.  Henry Odens led off and was hit by a pitch and Farley singled to advance him to second base.  Then Hokenson sent a long drive that sailed over the right field fence for his second home run of the season and the Orioles took a three run lead.  The lead would increase to four when Helfmann drove the ball over the left field fence.  Following Stanley Regguinti's walk.  An errant throw to first by Wayzata relief pitcher Joey O'Brien advanced Regguinti to third.  Giovannelli came up and drove Regguinti home on an RBI single to put St. Louis Park ahead by five.  

The Trojans came to the plate in the top of the seventh but could get runners on base as Giovannelli retired the side in order to preserve the shutout.  

St. Louis Park ended a three game losing streak and improved their record to 6-5 they will host the Cooper Hawks on Wednesday, May 11 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.  Wayzata fell to 4-6 and will also be back in action on the 11th, hosting the Armstrong Falcons at 6:30 PM.  

50 Years Ago, ABC Had Another Game Show Hit With Split Second

 Because of the state basketball tournament preview in late March, HSGN is belated to mention that 50 years ago on March 20, the network debuted a new quiz show titled Split Second.  

Hosted by Tom Kennedy and produced by the team of Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall (who were also involved with the Hall hosted Let's Make a Deal), Split Second was a fast paced quiz show that featured three contestants.  The show's announcer was Jack Clark, his first game show since the network's short-lived prime time game show The Reel Game.  

Three answers were displayed on a board or answers to questions read by Kennedy.  The first player to ring in got to pick the first answer.  Whether the answer is right or wrong, the other two players get a chance to answer.  Unlike Jeopardy, it's not how fast you know the answer but how fast you ring in.  Correct answers in the first round paid $25 for only one right answer, $10 for two and if all three are right, $5 apiece.  In the second round, a contestant received $50 for the only right answer, $25 if two are correct and all three right answers won $10 apiece.  

The third round was known as The Countdown Round.  The money amounts on the contestant's readouts were replaced by the number of correct answers needed to win the game.  The first place contestant needed three answers to win, the second place contestant four and the third required five.  What differed from the first two rounds was, the player who rung in, got a chance to get up to all three answers right.  Over the show's three year run, there were few instances that the first contestant could win on the first question.  An incorrect answer allowed the other two to respond.  The first player to reach zero won the game.  Win or lose, each contestant kept the money they won.  

The winning contestant advance to the Bonus Round where five cars were displayed.  The contestant picked a car and if it starred, they won the car and retired as a champion.  If it didn't start, the champion returned for the next game and if they won, the number of cars would be reduced to four, giving a better chance to win a car.  A contestant who won five games, retired undefeated and won a car.  

Split Second enjoyed a three year run, airing following Password, which was moved up a half hour to noon and reruns of Bewitched were moved to 11:30 AM ET.  It solidified a hit game show lineup that included Let's Make a Deal, The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game.  

But in June 1975, Split Second was canceled due to declining ratings from its Password lead in and a revamping of ABC's midday lineup.  The show would return in syndication in December 1986 with Hall hosting and Sandy Hoyt as the announcer.  This version was taped in Hamilton, Ontario and suffered from low clearances as well as low ratings which resulted in its cancellation in 1987.  

Split Second was a success thanks to Kennedy's pacing and the format allowed the home viewer to play along.  It's a show that should be revived someday, given the right host and format execution.  Hopefully if it returns, it won't be gone in a split second.  

Rockford Rockets Roll Past SLP Orioles

 Saturday morning was Little League Day at Derrick Keller Field and the more than two dozen St. Louis Park little leaguers saw Nolan Perry hit a two run double in the top of the fourth inning and pitched well in relief to help lead the Rockford Rockets to a 7-5 over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

In the first two innings, both teams scored one run apiece.  In the top of the first, the Rockets run came on an RBI single that scored Alex Altmann and the Orioles capitalized on two Rockford errors and a walk to Kristofer Hokenson to load the bases.  Graham Sullivan stole second and Ben Farley would steal home.  The rockets run in the second came from Luke Pilot's RBI single that brought Aiden Smith home.  Smith hit a one out double.  St. Louis Park evened the score at two after Farley and Jacob Favour walked, followed by Hokenson's RBI single that accounted for Farley's second run.

Altmann would put the Rockets ahead in the top of the third on his RBI single that scored Perry, who reached base on an error by Farley.  

Sloppy fielding by St. Louis Park would add two runs to Rockford's ledger.  Smith reached base on an error by second baseman Henry Odens, Pilot walked and Logan Vicino reached base on Farley's error.  Perry came to bat and hit a two run double to bring home Smith and Pilot.  

The Orioles attempted to bounce back from a three run deficit in the bottom of the sixth as Favour hit a one out single and Hokenson, battling Perry who came in for Pilot in the bottom of the fourth made the most of a 10 pitch at bat with a base hit to advance Favour to third.  Zach Helfmann's sacrifice fly would score Favour and the margin was trimmed to 5-3.  

The Rockets would extend their lead to four in the top of the seventh on Max Hudlow's sacrifice fly that scored Nick Birrebose and Smith drove home Joey Cook with an RBI double.  

Could the Orioles send the youngsters home happy with a walk off win in the bottom of the seventh?  Andruw Vela walked and Tait Myers singled to put two runners on base.  Then Farley hit a long triple to left field to cut the lead to two.  Favour and Hokenson walked to load the bases and Helfmann had a chance to tie or win the game.  But Helfmann flied out to left field and that concluded the game.  

Both teams were plagued by leaving runners on base.  Rockford left nine runners stranded and St. Louis Park left 14, including two innings where the bases were loaded. 

The Rockets improved to 5-6 and host the Holy Family Catholic Fire on Monday, May 9 at 7:30 PM.  The Orioles lost their third straight game and fell to 5-5.  They will host the Wayzata Trojans on Tuesday, May 10 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.  The game was rescheduled from April 30 due to torrential rain in the St. Louis Park area.  

A Chaska Comeback

Wednesday night was Strikeout ALS Night at Derrick Keller Field and Henry Bushey's two RBI double in the top of the seventh inning led the Chaska Hawks to a 5-2 come from behind win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

The Orioles struck first in the bottom of the first when Stanley Regguinti reached base on an error by Hawks shortstop Henry Bushey and Ben Farley singled.  Zach Helfmann singled to score Regguinti to give St. Louis Park the early lead.  

Regguinti would account for St. Louis Park's second run in the bottom of the third as he crossed the plate on Kristofer Hokenson's RBI single and the lead increased to two.  

Things were looking good for Oriole starting pitcher Stefano Giovannelli, whose mother Lynn, battling ALS, was one of three women who threw out the first pitch prior to the start of the game.  He had a perfect game through four innings with no walks and four strikeouts.  But in the top of the fifth, the roof started to cave in on Giovannelli when Drew Benson singled and Hawks pitcher Maddox Foss reached base on Giovannelli's throwing error.  Benson would score on Bushey's sacrifice fly to cut the lead to one.  

Could St. Louis Park shut down the Chaska offense in the top of the seventh?  The answer would eventually be no since the first five batters hit safely.  Dayne McNaughton and Benson reached base on singles and McNaughton was forced out at third base on an excellent heads up play by Giovannelli.  But Bushey hit a two run double and came home on Thomas Hanson's RBI single.  The Orioles only managed to get one base runner on a one out single from Henry Odens but Hanson, pitching in relief of Foss, struck out Jacob Favour and pinch hitter Zach Johnson to end the game.  

Giovannelli would strike out seven batters in a losing effort.  

The Hawks improved their record to 7-2 and host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Friday, May 6 at 7 PM at Chaska Athletic Park.  The Orioles fell to 5-3 and travel to Waconia on the 6th to take on the Wildcats at 7 PM at the Waconia Lions Baseball Field.